It was Johnny Mooney's birthday and we had a team night out bowling, so that got it out of my mind. The whole day and night wore me out and I slept really well so I was raring to go the next morning.

"I was 182* overnight and got a bit nervous in the 190s, but once I passed 200 I was delighted". Morgan had never reached such heights before, his previous best being 182 for Leinster under-15s against Bedfordshire under-17s.

He has spent this week winding down before the squad get together for fulltime practice next week.

The last month has been all go for the squad. "Kenya was disappointing, " says Morgan, "We had come from Port Elizabeth on the back of some fantastic performances. The bowlers were on fire, lots of guys got runs, fielding was excellent. We felt great. In Kenya we lost a bit of our discipline at the wrong moments but we were beaten in four very tight games.

"We decided as a team that we'd get over it quickly by doing the job of beating UAE, and we did that. We are back in the winning habit which we have had for a few years now on the Associates scene.

To bowl out a side twice on a flat wicket like that was a fantastic achievement. Our bowling coach Mike Hendrick talks a lot about 'the thinking ball', using our heads, and we bowled a lot of them."

The focus now is entirely on Sabina Park and three days in mid-March. Eoin is positive: "Realistically we have a great chance to beat Zimbabwe if we play well. Against West Indies we would need to be at our best and they to underperform a little for us to beat them.

Pakistan are in a small bit of a shambles at the moment, which could stand to us".

With three Middlesex top-order teammates now bedded down in the England set-up, there will be many more opportunities for Morgan to make a place his own this summer. Does he expect to play much for Ireland after the World Cup? "Well - and I mean this in the best possible way - I certainly hope not. For me to get to the very top of world cricket I need to be full-time in the Middlesex team and to play as much county cricket as I can." If Eoin Morgan (pictured) can stay in the rich vein of form he has been in, he could be one of the stars of the World Cup.

While Morgan's double is the "rst by a batsman for Ireland in first-class cricket, it's not the first by an Irishman. Ed Joyce clocked 211 last summer against Warwickshire, while three others have also reached that mark: Tim O'Brien (Middlesex, 202), Freddie Fane (Essex, 217) and Reggie Poore (Hampshire, 304), all before World War I.

The squad will get a day off on Wednesday when they visit President McAleese in Aras an UachtarA in. The old vice-regal lodge was a hotbed of cricket in the 19th century and Ireland played many games on what is now McAleese's front garden.

Jamaica itself has plenty of Irish influences, some of which have remained on its landscape. Among the streets in Kingston Irish supporters might find themselves on are Leinster Road, Leitrim Road, Killarney Avenue and Kinsale Avenue.

There's even a Longford Road, presumably named after one of the ancestors of Dave, eh, Longford-Smith!

Signs that there's a new wind blowing for Irish cricket (No.6):

Fingal councillor David O'Connor has organised a song contest to choose a new anthem for Irish cricket. O'Connor has secured Euro1,000 from Murphy Environmental for whoever pens the winning song. "The World Cup is something totally new for Irish cricket, and it was felt by many that we needed an anthem to mark the occasion, and we'll be singing the winning song in Jamaica, " said O'Connor.

This is not an official ICU anthem - none will be played in the Caribbean - but may some day attain the status of 'Ireland's Call', which was played at the Women's World Cup in 2005.

The contest will be decided at a gala evening in North County CC on 28 February, when the finalists will perform their song.

"The whole cricketing thing is gaining momentum by the day with the World Cup advancing, and we expect a good entry for this competition. Naturally the song won't be too long, and the chorus will be the key to the whole thing, " Dave explains. "This idea is coming from the grass roots of Irish cricket, and we think the players will love the idea too."

Entries on CD or cassette should be sent to Hubert Murphy, 'Fingal Independent', 4 Main Street, Swords, Co Dublin, before noon on Friday.

Railway Union, who have three players in the squad and one reserve, say farewell to their contingent at a Jamaica Evening in Park Avenue next Thursday. A slideshow and table quiz are the main events while a special RUCC 2007 calendar will also be on sale. More details from David Carroll on 086 852 0582.

Days to the World Cup: 25. A number we'll be hearing of a lot in advance of the West Indies game. Ireland bowled the Windies out for 25 at Sion Mills in 1969, and drink had nothing to do with the visitors' collapse. Dougie Goodwin (who took 5 for 6) explains. "They were very late getting on the plane and had a long drive from the airport. We might have had a few, but I don't think they had time to have a drink."